U-18 Japan National Team started its activities aiming to participate in FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017. This team is composed of players who were born after Jan 1 1997, including those to become J. leaguers or university students from this spring.
The first event for the team is a Russia Tour. Members were called to the team, leaving from Japan for Russia after entering into a New Year. It will have 5 matches with foreign soccer teams in the 27th Valentin Grantkin Memorial International Football Tournament. Japan, which participated in this tournament last year too and beaten the home team, Russia, to win the title, now aims for winning the second successive championship as a defending champion.

Arriving at the match venue in Saint Petersburg, players worked up a good sweat by running and 4-to-1 exercise using a ball for about an hour from early evening to relieve their fatigues due to a long flight. Weather conditions will not impact on trainings and games because both are going to be held within doors, however, players can't take a walk freely as it is too cold at zero degree to set foot on outside buildings. They are determined to make their tour fruitful under provided environment.

The opening match will be held on Jan 3. As there is only a day, Jan 2, left for the team to do full trainings, players are concentrating on making good use of limited time for their trainings and making efforts as a whole team in order to bring a good outcome in the coming tournament.

Comments

SAKAI Daisuke （Oita Trinita U-18）
I am so delighted to be provided an opportunity to play soccer from a such early New Year. The team will unite and win the second consecutive championship this year too, as we are defending champion.

MORISHIMA Tsukasa （Yokkaichi Chuo Technical High School）
I am happy to be selected as a member of the National Team this time. I look forward so much to play soccer under unusual conditions, because games in Russia are different from those in Japan in some ways such as plays within doors and games against foreign players. I want to make clear that which part is effective or not in the world stage, while showing my advantages. During trainings, I will try to make many communications with member whom I meet for the first time in the National Team to prepare well for doing good performances in games. I will make utmost efforts to experience and learn as many things as possible here in Russia when I go back to Japan.

ABE Koto （Albirex Niigata Youth）
We have just arrived at Russia after long flight today, engaged in jogging and an exercise of passes to get ourselves into good conditions. I will try to communicate with other members lively both inside and outside of the pitch to prepare for the first game with Azerbaijan, because some are new for me to play with together in this tour.

Schedule

*The schedule may be subject to change according to the team condition, the weather, etc. without notice.

The 27th Valentin Granatkin Memorial International Football Tournament Group Rosters

   Group A: Russia, Lithuania, Moldova
   Group B: Belarus, Estonia, Latvia
   Group C: Bulgaria, Slovenia, Kazakhstan
   Group D: Slovakia, Saint Petersburg, Greece
   Group E: Moscow, Korea Republic, Finland
   Group F: Japan, U-17 Russia National Team, Azerbaijan